Holiday and residential parks making a real difference to their local communities are being celebrated in a year-long campaign - Parks Make Places - by the British Holiday & Home Parks Association.

Throughout 2025, the spotlight will be falling on businesses which are bringing about positive change through their actions to benefit society, the economy, and the environment.

Among the local heroes featured are several Cumbrian holiday parks which have helped pioneer and fund a community bus service in and around Ullswater to lessen pollution and traffic congestion in the Lake District.

It's joined by a Yorkshire Dales holiday park that bought the building occupied by a popular village artisan bakery to save it from the threat of closure and the loss of local jobs.

Meanwhile in Dorset, a coastal holiday park has so far raised over £110,000 to support the conservation and educational work of the Jurassic Coast Trust.

And a residential park near Ascot has opened 25 acres of its grounds to public access so that local residents can enjoy walks and wildlife discoveries on their doorstep.

"There are many, many more examples of park owners making community-led initiatives which change lives for the better," said Debbie Walker, Director General of BH&HPA.

"They do so because they want to give something tangible back to their local areas, often where their families have had links that go back through successive generations.

"But there are a lot of unsung park heroes out there, and BH&HPA's Parks Make Places campaign aims to give credit to what these businesses are achieving," added Debbie.

Starting in May, when the event is officially launched, the association is encouraging parks to host visits from their constituency MPs and local authority leaders.

These will be a chance, says Debbie, to learn more about how parks are helping to bring about beneficial change – particularly in rural and coastal communities.

Other examples include a park giving staff paid leave to carry out voluntary work, establishing a matched giving scheme for staff fundraising, and enabling charities to raise over £900,000 last year by fundraising in its grounds.

Parks support their local foodbanks, organise beach clean-ups, provide free holidays for families in need, and host an annual public open day themed on the natural environment and crafts.

"In all cases, the motive is simply to enhance the quality of other people's lives – and often represents a significant investment of time, money and resources by the park," said Debbie.

"We're delighted to be showcasing parks whose owners run not just responsible businesses, but who also believe in reaching out and making a real difference."

Find out more about the Parks Make Places campaign.